john_ny

I also started unveiling the basjoos today. I was prepared for the worst but, so far things are looking pretty good. I had wrapped each stem with several sheets of newspaper, then a layer of bubble wrap with a plastic bag wrapped fairly snugly, and taped, over the tops. I then built a wire cage around the mat, filled it with leaves, and tied a plastic tarp over the whole thing. I,m not finished yer, but the first stem I uncovered was green just about to the top, about 4½ feet.

Here's the tarp:
[IMG][/IMG]

With the tarp removed, you can see the leaf filled wire cages:
[IMG][/IMG]

Stem uncovered:
[IMG][/IMG]

After just about 20 minutes, the leaf began to unfurl:
[IMG][/IMG]

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John

saltydad

Congrats! Looks like all your effort wasn't wasted.

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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Bob

Thanks John and Jim . Next year a bigger covering of insulation and hopefully I can figure out some thermostatically controled lights as well.

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Jimzone7

Bob
It's very easy, if you want to purchase the plugs next year I'm sure I can dig out the receipt and remember where I got them from.
Jim

Chironex

Another one that made it! Way to go John!

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Scot

Bob

Jim , I'll take you up on that. Next year I'll have a lot more outside than I did. Thanks

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john_ny

Well, all the Basjoos I had covered came back. At first I said they were green to the tip. It was probably more like yellow and, at first, they didn't seem to move much, but we had about a week of cool weather, after I uncovered. (Days 50s to low 60s; nights 40s to low 50s) But yesterday it was in the 70s, and today, and the next 3 days it's in the 80s, so they're greening up, and pushing out. Even found some of the pups had pups. Last fall, I found the main stem broken off. See this.Broken basjoo.
I cut it off, at about a foot, threw it in a pot, and put it in the cellar. A couple of weeks ago, I found the stem had collapsed, but there was a nice pup in the pot. Here's a picture of the pup.
[IMG][/IMG]
You can see the collapsed stem lying in the pot.

Covered up a lasiocarpa last fall also, but that looks pretty much mush.

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John

saltydad

Well, even though I had only straw pile mulched my basjoos (no wrapping, etc., and they looked like hell when I uncovered them a week or so ago), today I found 2 pups had started growth about an inch or so above the soil. I was so overjoyed that I immediately started looking microscopically at my cavs, Chinese yellow and sikkim,, but nothing. My sikkim even is slightly hollowed over the p-stem at just below ground level. I'll be waiting with fingers and toes crossed.

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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Bob

My formerly hard as a rock corm(actually the last inch and a half of P-stem)has turned to mush. To say I'm a bit bummed is an understatement. No pups, no anything. All I can do is wait and have a replacement ready.............( Really want to curse at this point)

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Michael_Andrew

Darn Bob. I thought you were good to go from the pics. Mine looked very much like yours but I have the main stem pushing about 3 inches and all three pups are pushing,. One is around 6 inches and can see a leaf starting to emerge. I was worried about the main stem cause it was always so wet looking like moisture was oozing up thru it. I had 7 planted and it looks like only my biggest survived. The others were substantially smaller.

Michael

Bob

Thanks Michael, I havent officially given up hope but it's not looking good. In any case I have one ready to replace it if need be.

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saltydad

Update: Today I noted that my needle palm (thought dead- see above) has pushed up about 1/2 inch of a new green spear. Damn, they are tough! Another positive note- a Sabal mexicana is also showing a bit of new green. Life is good, or at least getting better! No life showing yet on my S. minor or L. chinensis, but I still have hopes now. Just wish I could see some growth from my Chinese yellow or sikkim. Don't expect anything from the cavs; it was a real long shot.

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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fishman0422

Well it's been a really long time since I've posted, probably late last summer or fall. During the winter months I only pop by the site rarely, just to poke around. NOW IT'S SPRING and I'm expecting to be here on a fairly regular basis. I uncovered my basjoos in April during the week ending 4/25, so it's been a few weeks. This past winter I used the cage/mulch method on only two of my clumps the other nine I tried using home insulation with a mound of mulch at the base, of course, all were covered with plastic. This was my second year of over wintering and it was definately NOT as mild as the year before! I had six that did as well as I could have hoped for and five not so well. The plants along the fence on the left side of my back yard and the plants against the back of my house & deck faired well. The plants along my back fence and the fence to the right not so well. It's hard to say if one wrapping method performed better than the other. One of the caged plants was at the back of my house and I believe retained all of it's stem height. The other caged plant was to the right and was basically flimsy to the ground. One of the basjoos that was brought to ground level has not yet begun to grow back and I'm losing faith. All of the other ground level plants are growing at either an existing stump, sending up pups, or both. I'll just have to transplant a pup or two to that possible failed location. I'm very happy with the basjoos that did well. Losing almost no height I have some stems over 4 feet tall. That's a much better head start than last year! It could be that the insulation method worked out better when I look at it that way...I dunno. My thoughts tell me location HAD to be a deciding factor in determining success. My house faces west, sort of northwest, but basically west. The most successful plants were ALL on the south to southeast side of a structure- my house, deck, or fence. I do remember reading about having better results mulching over cannas when they are on the south side of a structure. I'm very far from an expert but there could be something to that. While the nannas are growing we have had a few colder, windier days than desired and they seem to be off to a slow start. I have some beaten up browned leaves and have already cut a few. Of course each first leaf popped out nasty being from the top of the cut and tattered stem, but even some since those look like hell. I haven't gotten my but out there yet with a camera but I'll be sure to post pics soon.
I hope all your gardens are bursting with growth!!

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The Reluctant Gardener

Scuba_Dave

I searched & it appears that this is tuckedawayfarmS(dot)com ?

Unless there are two?

saltydad

My Basjoo clump shows again. So far, 13 pups.

__________________
Men In Nursing- "A Few Good Men"

"Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon





"If by a liberal, they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind; someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions; someone who cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties; someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicion that grips us; that is what they meant by a liberal, I am proud to be a liberal."
John F. Kennedy, September, 1960


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